There is provided a vertical heat treatment system capable of simplifying the structure of various mechanisms in the vicinity of an opening which is formed in a partition wall separating a housing-box transfer area from a treating-object transfer area (a wafer transfer area), and of contributing to space saving, when an object to be treated is carried in the vertical heat treatment system through the opening to carry out a predetermined treatment.In a vertical heat treatment system for carrying an object W to be treated, which is housed in a treating-object housing box 2 closed by an opening/closing lid 10, in a treating-object transfer area 46 via an opening 28, which is formed in a partition wall 26 separating a housing-box transfer area 44 for transferring the treating-object housing box from the treating-object transfer area 46 in an atmosphere of an inert gas, to carry out a predetermined treatment, a standby box transfer means 60 is provided in the housing-box transfer area for holding a treating-object housing box, which houses therein the next object to be carried in the treating-object transfer area, in the vicinity of the opening to cause the treating-object housing box to stand by. Thus, when the object to be treated is carried in via the opening of the partition wall, which separates the housing-box transfer area from the treating-object transfer area (wafer transfer area), to carry out a predetermined treatment, the structure of various mechanisms in the vicinity of the opening is simplified, and the space is saved.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A vertical heat treatment system having a holder supporting mechanism comprising: a holder mounting table for mounting thereon a holder for holding a plurality of objects to be heat-treated, in a stacked state, the holder being configured such that each of the plurality of objects is disposed horizontally in said stacked state, the holder further having a bottom plate in which is formed a plurality of cut-outs, the bottom plate being provided horizontally and mounted on the holder mounting table horizontally; and a holder position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the holder in a horizontal plane, including a plurality of protruding portions corresponding to the shape of a bottom plate of the holder, and a distance varying mechanism for varying the distance between the plurality of protruding portions, wherein the plurality of protruding portions can enter said plurality of cut-outs formed in the bottom plate of the holder for adjusting a position of the holder on a basis of a correspondence to the cut-outs.
2. A vertical heat treatment system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said holder supporting mechanism further comprises a sliding mechanism for allowing said holder mounting table to move on a plane along a holder mounting surface of said holder mounting table.
3. A vertical heat treatment system as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said holder supporting mechanism further comprises a returning mechanism for returning said holder mounting table to a predetermined position, said returning mechanism including biasing means for biasing said holder mounting table in a different direction in a plane along a holder mounting surface of said holder mounting table.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
September 14, 2004
May 1, 2007
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